Luka Modric was born in 1985 in Zadar, Croatia. It was a very tough childhood, overcoming a war, living far away, and being rejected by football teams because of his physique...

Before the bloody Balkan War broke out, Modric's family had to travel 60 kilometres to give birth to their son.

Little Luka lived as a refugee in hotels in the Zadar area. He started playing football there, in the car parks of the hotels.

Amid sounds of bombs and sirens, Modric witnessed a tragic event that would change his life, watching his grandfather killed. They had to flee.

The owner of the Hotel Kolovare (where Modric lived) was also a director at NK Zadar, the club where the Croatian started playing as a child. 

He trained there for many years amidst the sounds of war, about two years without electricity or running water. Tough to believe in fulfilling dreams.

When he was 8, he was rejected from his dream club (Hajduk) because he was too skinny and too short, and they thought he had no talent.

At the age of 16, he signed for Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia's biggest club. His debut didn't come, as he was loaned to the toughest league in the region. He ended up at Zrijinski in Bosnia.

The following year, he went on loan to Inter Zapresic in Croatia. In this team he was a starter and was called up to the Croatian U21 team at the age of 18. His club was crowned champions.

During his time at Dinamo he played 73 games, scoring 22 goals and providing 21 assists. Nobody said anything about his physique any more, the quality spoke for itself.

"I can only say that I never doubted myself. I always believed I could get here. Thank God it's true. Those were not barriers, but extra motivation."

In 2008, Tottenham paid 20 million for him and he began the definitive leap to the elite. In England he played 160 games, scored 17 and made 26 assists.

Real Madrid signed him in 2012 for a total of 30 million. During his first few seasons he was criticised for not living up to the high cost of his transfer.

Today, he is considered one of Real Madrid's living legends. He has played 450 games in total, in which he has scored 34 goals and had 74 assists.

His touches, his vision, his humility... Titles won: 5 Champions Leagues, 3 La Ligas, 4 Spanish Super Cups, 4 European Super Cups, 1 Copa del Rey...

But his greatest achievement would come in 2018 as Modric led Croatia to the final of the World Cup, playing great football along the way.

The country rallied behind the football team but they lost the final against France. Despite the defeat, the nation celebrated the 2nd place, a truly beautiful moment.

This milestone with Croatia along with an impressive season in Madrid led to Modric winning the Ballon d'Or in 2018. What an example to all.